The Yankee Wizard
by Rhaegar I
Summary: Ted Franklin was all set to learn wizardry at America's finest school, New Salem...until his dad's job dragged him to England, and Ted had to go to Hogwarts. Now he's a squib-descended, muggle-loving, all-American almost teenager in the middle of an ancient, very English school where he's surrounded by forgotten history, ancient tradition, and the Boy Who Lived. What can go wrong?
1. Y1: Leaving

Ted's day had been good, right up until dinner.

It started off like any other day. Since it was the summer, he didn't go to school. Instead, he hung out with his friends. They started the day off with baseball in a nearby field, Ted playing pitcher as usual. They later went to a Muggle-free area where they could play a game of Quodpot, which everyone agreed was infinitely better than European Quidditch. They later discussed school. Since most of the group was going to New Salem that fall, they could not be more excited about finally learning Magic and putting some five years of pure theory into good use. They talked about all the amazing things they will start doing. Ted himself looked forward to Transfiguration, since all Franklins, ever since his distant great-grandfather Benjamin, are inevitably natural prodigies at that art. Ted was also looking forward to going to New Salem, the premier Magical school in the country, since his grandfather Edward was the Headmaster and his sister Ellen was already a student there. With just a few months to go, Ted was giddy as, well, a school boy.

That night, at dinner, Abraham, Ted's father made a surprise announcement to the family.

"Ted," he began. "I have good news. I was just named the Magical Ambassador to the UK. We're leaving for London in two weeks."

This didn't really surprise or interest Ted, since he knew his father would probably be an ambassador one day. Ted didn't care as much about his father moving as he normally would have, since he was going to New Salem anyway.

And then the last thing he said hit Ted in the head.

"We?" Ted asked. "Why am I going too? I'm supposed to go to New Salem!"

Dad sighed at that. "Ted, I know you want to go to New Salem and be with your friends, but I'm afraid I have no choice in the matter. The British Minister, Fudge," dad saying the name slightly acerbically, "is insistent on this point. Apparently it is traditional for Ambassador's children to go to Hogwarts, the British Magical school, if they are an appropriate age. And since I'll probably be stationed there for at least several years, it will be best for you to be close to us."

Ted couldn't believe what he was hearing. Moving to England, away from his friends, to go to Hogwarts! "I don't want to go to Hogwarts! I want to go to New Salem, with my friends! Magical England is a backwards place, and I heard they have a terrible education system. And why do I have to go, but Ellen doesn't?"

Dad was trying to stay calm, but Ted could tell he was trying to control his own rage. "I know you don't want this, but you have no choice. You simply have to come with me to Britain and attend Hogwarts. It isn't that bad. Hogwarts is actually pretty good at teaching Magic. Admittedly, they don't teach certain subjects like English, math, and science, but I'll hire tutors to teach those subjects during the winter and summer holidays. And as for Ellen, she's already in New Salem. It wouldn't make sense for her to come with us."

Ted was absolutely angry at all this. "But dad," he started, but that was a mistake.

"Theodore Delano Franklin," his father shouted. Ted winced slightly at 'Theodore.' The only people who used that name were portraits and ghosts who disapproved of 'Ted,' and his parents and grandfather in really serious moments. And judging by how dad used his full name, he'd pushed too far.

"Not another word on this. You are attending Hogwarts. Stop whining like a baby. I was going to let you bring your Gameboy with you, but now you're leaving it here. One more word, and I'll confiscate your CD player too. Do you understand?"

"Yes, dad," Ted mumbled to himself. This calmed Abraham down.

"Good, then. You can start saying goodbyes tomorrow. And don't forget to pack."

* * *

Ted spent the next two weeks in a miserable state. He said his goodbyes, but that only made things more painful. He packed and repacked his stuff several times. In those weeks, nothing seemed fun anymore. His mother, Mary, tried and failed to make him feel better. Only his sister Ellen succeeded in making him feel better. During those three weeks, Ted felt genuinely happy only three times.

The first was when Ted went with his parents to get a wand. Nothing could change the excitement he had for that one. They went to Realities Circle, the heart of Magical New York to go shopping for some of Ted's school supplies. Although some of the items on the list, namely the textbooks, could only be bought in London, they could still buy a fair part of the list, especially the wand. For that, they went to Campbell and Foster, the best wandmakers in the region. Ted left that place with a redwood wand, Granian feather, 14 1/2 inches. Ted resolved never to forget that feeling when he first held his wand. It was like he suddenly found a body part he had never thought he was missing.

The second good thing about those weeks was a certain gift Ellen left for her younger brother. While packing for the third time, Ellen came into the room. Ted smiled when he saw her and paused his re-re-packing.

"Hey Teddy," she said. "You feeling better?" Normally, Ted, much like his name sake and several-times great-uncle, hated it when people called him 'Teddy,' but Ellen could get away with it.

"The same," he responded.

"That bad, huh?" she asked rhetorically. "Well, dear brother, I thought I could give you something to make you feel better."

Ted looked up excitedly. "What?"

Ellen smiled at this and took out a shrunken broom that looked suspiciously like Ted's broom. "I know Hogwarts, for God knows what reason, says you can't bring a broom, but I think that's just ridiculous. Which is why I figured you should bring yours anyway. You deserve that much. Just put it at the bottom of your suitcase, and no one would ever know. When you want to grow it to normal size, all you have to do is tap it twice with your wand, and it will grow. When you want to shrink it again, just use this spell while tapping it: reducio. Got all that, little Teddy?"

Ted quickly ran to hug his sister. He wasn't the best flier, but he sure loved doing it. He was mad when he found out First Years at Hogwarts couldn't bring a broom or try out for Quidditch (not that he would try out for the damned sport). The knowledge he could ride it while at school was an excellent comfort to his young mind.

The third happy thing was when Ted visited his grandfather Edward.

To most of the United States, Edward "Ed" Franklin was a living legend. As Secretary of Magic, he led America out of the Depression with his good friend and distant cousin FDR. During Grindelwald's War, he fought his way through Europe with Patton. And in the aftermath of the War and in the early years of the Cold War, he helped Magical Europe reform itself and led the West against communism. Even when he 'retired' to Headmaster of New Salem, people still looked up to him as a great man and leader. But to Ted, he would always be his kind grandfather, always there to tell great stories, like how he got his limp at Normandy.

After a quick hug, grandpa Ed led his grandson to the parlour, where a portrait of Benjamin Franklin hung. After acknowledging the portrait, the two sat down to talk.

"Ted," his grandfather began. "I know this move isn't exactly ideal for you. Quite frankly, I don't blame you. If it were up to me, you would be attending New Salem in September. And I'm not just saying that as a Headmaster looking for a promising pupil. But you must understand we aren't doing this for the sake of cruelty. You're going to Hogwarts for the sake of diplomacy, and getting the British out of their damned funk."

"And besides," the Benjamin portrait interjected. "Hogwarts isn't that bad. I remember my visits there when I was a teenager in London. I never learned Magic formally. Most of my knowledge came from books and odds and ends of random tutoring. I was jealous of all the wizards in London who went there. They often spoke of how it was an impressive school. I hear it has declined over the last few decades, but if it's half as good as the school I knew of, you should do just fine. And put it this way, young Theodore: you'll be with British witches, and if there's one thing I know about British witches, it's that they -"

"That's enough, Grandfather Ben," grandpa Ed said a little too loudly. Although Ed wasn't technically Benjamin's grandson, it was still customary for all Franklins to address him as such. "My point is, Ted, don't be so against it before you go there. All I ask is that you give it a chance. The Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, was a good friend of mine. We fought together in the War. We may have had our disagreements since then, but I still respect him as a great wizard and an excellent teacher. Do you understand what we're trying to say?"

"Yes, grandpa," Ted replied. And he kind of did. He still would have been happier if he could go to New Salem, but he supposed he could give Hogwarts a try. He did rather like their motto: a warning about a sleeping dragon is certainly more interesting than some cliché line about education.

Ed smiled at his grandson. "Good lad. Before you go, I do have a small present for you." He went to a nearby room, where he brought out a cage with what looked like a raven. But when he noticed it had a third eye on its head, Ted knew it wasn't just a raven.

"This," grandpa explained. "Is an Odinn hrafn. They are extremely rare, but also extremely useful. The old Norse kings used these to talk to each other. They can travel across great distances effortlessly, including the Atlantic Ocean. I'm giving this to you so you can write to me, your friends, and your sister while at Hogwarts. I expect you to take good care of him."

Ed handed the cage over to Ted, who could only hold it in awe. He thought the hrafn was beautiful. He knew it would make a good pet and messenger. "Thanks, grandpa."

Ed looked quite happy at this, and asked "What are you going to call him?"

Ted thought for a moment what to call this Magical Raven, when an idea hit him.

"Edgar."

Ed frowned for a moment before placing the name.

"Quoth the raven, nevermore."


	2. Y1: Trios are Lame

I do not own Harry Potter. I do not own any British character mentioned in this story, including Oliver Rivers (a Canon character from Rowling's original notes). Franklins are mine.

Fair warning, I am terrible with consistent updates. While I do have an outline that covers the next seven years, I can be a bit lazy in writing.

.7- Thank you, good ser.

Inoeth- I am quite aware of the Butterfly Effect. Which is why I will gradually introduce changes to the story, although Canon will survive relatively intact for a while.

I will explore the political and social aspects of the Magical World here, especially Britain.

The idiot ball will be touched upon.

nlspeed- I already thanked you for this, but thanks again.

coldblue- Revealed in this chapter.

He doesn't get any awesome Magical stuff beyond a slight advantage in Transfiguration (a Franklin thing). In everything else, he's quite average.

All in good time.

nobodez- 1991. Some Muggle happenings will occasionally be mentioned, like American elections, but this is primarily a story about Ted in Magical Britain.

* * *

As Ted looked out the window of the Hogwarts Express, he contemplated his time spent in London.

He had hated it. He missed his friends. He hated not having his GameBoy. He hated British accents and their weird words. But most of all, he hated how Magical Britain seemed to think Victoria was still queen, judging by their lack of technology, stupidity in all things logical, and insistence on wearing robes (seriously, who wore robes nowadays?).

Granted, there were things he'd actually enjoyed about London. He smiled as he recalled the reaction of the goblin teller at Gringott's when his dad greeted him in gobbledegook. And while he hadn't enjoyed the stupid diplomatic ball his dad had dragged him to, he had a nice time with that girl Susan; maybe she'd be going to Hogwarts?

Still, he was quite bitter at being on a train to Hogwarts, instead of one to New Salem. Which was why he was sitting alone in a compartment, waving goodbye to his mom and dad as the train sped off to Scotland. He was perfectly content to sit alone, listening to some Led Zeppelin for relaxation, but halfway through Misty Mountain Hop he heard a knock at the door.

"Excuse me," a boy said. "Mind if I sit here?"

Ted initially wanted to tell the Brit off, since he preferred to sit alone. But, he decided to be nice and allowed that he didn't mind.

After the kid finished putting his trunk away, he stared at Ted's CD player. Ted took his headphones off and calmly explained "It's a CD player. A muggle device that can-"

"I know what a CD player," the boy interrupted. "I was wondering how it's still working. Doesn't Magic kind of ruin electronic devices?"

Ted was quite impressed the wizard knew about CD players, so he decided to humor him.

"I don't really get how it works myself," Ted said. "But I do know that Magic gives off some sort of pulse that normally disables electronics. This CD player is shielded to prevent that from happening, meaning it will work perfectly fine as long as I don't actually do Magic on the player." Ted paused for a moment. "Quite frankly, I'm impressed you even know what CD players are!"

The kid raised his eyebrows. "Why, because I'm a wizard? I'm half-blood: my mum's a muggle, and she insisted me and my dad learn about Muggle stuff."

Ted was now quite intrigued by this boy, the first British wizard he'd met who wasn't a total idiot about anything Muggle.

"You're American, right?" he asked, "The accent's a bit of a give-away."

"Yep," Ted answered. "My dad recently got a job here, and now I have to attend Hogwarts."

"A shame," the brown-haired boy said. "We went on holiday to America last year, and I'd have loved to go to New Salem. By the way, the name's Rivers. Oliver Rivers."

Ted smiled at the James Bond reference and shook his hand. "Ted Franklin."

Oliver looked surprised at the last name. "You wouldn't happen to be related to the Ed Franklin, would you?"

"My granddad."

This utterly shocked Oliver. "By Merlin's left nut, what are you doing here?"

"My dad's the new Magical Ambassador, and apparently there's some tradition about Ambassadors' children attending Hogwarts."

Oliver snorted at this. "Tradition. We're obsessed with them here – you might have noticed. Why, I bet -"

Before Ted could find out what Oliver wanted to bet, the compartment door opened again, letting in a familiar redhead.

"Hey, Ted," Susan Bones said. "Mind if I join you two?"

"Why not?" Ted said. As she was attempting to get her trunk in the room, a toad hopped in.

Oliver screeched. Susan laughed.

"Ah, are you really afraid of a little toad? He's kind of cute."

"Don't mind her," Ted said diplomatically. "Susan, this is Oliver Rivers. Oliver, this is Susan Bones."

They shook.

"When did you two meet?" Oliver asked.

"At a Ministry ball," Susan coolly answered. "My aunt and his dad were both invited. How about you two?"

"Just now I suppose," Ted answered. "I wonder whose toad this is?"

"I'm sure someone will show up eventually."

Sure enough, a round-faced blonde boy who looked strangely familiar opened the door.

"Excuse me, have any of you seen a toad?"

"You mean this little guy," Susan said, still holding the toad.

"Trevor!" the boy said excitedly. "Thanks."

"No problem," Ted said. "Want to join us?"

He considered it for a moment, then nodded his head, taking a seat.

"I'm Ted, this is Susan, and this is Oliver," Ted introduced. "And you are..."

"Neville," he said hesitantly. "Neville Longbottom."

This provoked a memory in Ted, and explained the familiar face.

"Are you related to a Richard Longbottom?"

Neville looked surprised and nodded his head. "My great-grandfather. But how would you know him?"

"He fought with my granddad, Ed Franklin, in Grindelwald's War. There's a picture of the two of them on my granddad's mantelpiece. Apparently, he was quite the wizard."

Neville looked shocked at this. "You're Ed Franklin's grandson?"

Ted sighed. He was quite used to people going crazy the moment they realized his last name, but it could be annoying. But at least the family name was not so well-known in Britain.

"Yep. So, I'm guessing you'll be quite the wizard, if you're anything like your ancestor."

Neville looked utterly embarrassed and said "Not likely. I'm not all that good at anything. My family even thought I was a Squib for a while."

Ted frowned. What was wrong with these people? "Neville, there's nothing wrong with Squibs. Magical America was founded by Squibs and muggle-borns and the like. My mother is a Squib, for God's sake, and I'm here. Take pride in who you are, Neville."

Neville wasn't quite sure how to respond to this, but he didn't have to. For the fourth time, someone barged into the compartment, an Indian by the looks of her.

"Can I join you?" she asked. "My sister and her friends are driving me crazy."

Since Ted wasn't going to be rude and treat her any differently, he let her join his increasingly not-empty compartment.

After she took a seat and they got onto introductions, her name turned out to be Padma Patil. When they reached Ted, she raised her eyebrows.

"And I was wondering if I would be the only foreigner here," she said. "Well, me and my lovely twin sister Pavarti. We moved to England last year. I'm still getting used to this bloody country."

Ted chuckled at this. It was nice he wasn't the only non-Brit going to Hogwarts.

"So," Susan asked. "What's India like?"

* * *

"For the last time," Padma was arguing. "Brooms are dangerous. Carpets are infinitely safer."

"Nonsense," Oliver said. "You have nothing to hold on to with carpets. You can fall off them. With brooms, you just hang on."

"And besides," Ted said. "Any idiot can fly a broom. All it takes is confidence."

"Not true," Neville quietly said. "I am terrible with brooms. I kind of wish Britain didn't ban carpets now."

Ted quickly resolved he would get Neville over his fear of brooms with his smuggled broom, or die trying.

"Finally, someone speaks sense," Padma said. "And there are safety features to make sure people don't fall off them."

"That doesn't change the fact they are totally useless for anything but going places" Ted mused. "With brooms, you can play sports. With carpets, you can't."

"To be fair," Susan spoke up. "I did see Quidditch played with carpets once. It wasn't as good as with brooms, but they did play it."

And then, for the fifth time (Ted seriously wished the doors had locks at this point), three boys opened the door. Two of them looked like glorified gorillas. The third had blonde hair and had an aristocratic look about him.

"Where is Potter? I heard he was down this way."

"A few compartments down, I think" Neville said with a nervous tone in his voice.

"Well, if it isn't Longbottom," the blonde jerk said. "I'm surprised you made it to Hogwarts. I heard you were a Squib."

Ted frowned at the boy. It was obvious already he was a bully.

"Where I come from," Ted coldly said. "It is considered rude not to introduce oneself."

Blondie turned his head towards Ted and sneered.

"Ah, an American. If you don't like it here, perhaps you should go back where you came from. But if you really don't know, I'm Malfoy. Draco Malfoy."

Ted frowned at Malfoy. Now that he knew the name, a lot of things made sense.

"Well, Draco," Ted said. "You should already know that we're related. Generations back, Brutus Malfoy threw out a relative called Adam because he was a Squib. Adam ended up in America, and is one of the ancestors of my family – you might have heard of my grandfather Edward, who fought against Grindelwald? He was no Squib – and nor am I. Your ancestor should have been more careful about how he treated people with less magic, and it seems you share his faults."

Draco looked utterly horrified at everything he just heard, and left with his minions without another word. Ted's new friends looked a bit shocked by what had just happened, and Neville looked a bit embarrassed.

"You didn't have to do that," Neville said.

"Nonsense. He shouldn't have said that, and I always stick up for my friends. Who's he looking for, anyway?"

"He said Potter, so probably Harry Potter," Susan said. "He should be attending Hogwarts this year."

Ted frowned at the name. "Who's Harry Potter?"


	3. Y1: A Singing Hat

Franklins are mine, the rest go to Rowling.

.7- Well, if you don't know who Harry Potter is, I fear you're in the wrong place. :) In all seriousness, just read.

RosoMC- It will get a mention, but nothing more. He is 11: it won't hold that much meaning to him.

SupaCrazee- Good to hear. Wait until he actually starts Hogwarts.

* * *

The three Brits stared at Ted.

"You don't know who Harry Potter is?" Susan exclaimed.

"To be fair," Padma noted, "Ted did move here recently. I didn't know who Harry was when I moved here." She then turned to Ted and said "Harry Potter is kind of a celebrity around here. When he was 1, he not only survived the Killing Curse, he somehow managed to defeat the Dark Lord, You-Know-Who."

"Who?" Ted asked. "The only British Dark Lord I heard of is some Lord Moldyshorts."

At this, Neville, Susan, and Oliver gaped at Ted. Padma was trying extremely hard to resist giggling at the name and their faces.

"It's Lord Voldemort," Padma stated while ignoring the flinches. "Don't mind them, they all believe it's a bad idea to say his name. I know, it's stupid, but when in Rome. I would suggest just saying You-Know-Who to keep them from going crazy."

Ted frowned. "That is really stupid. Why should anyone be afraid of a name? A friend of my grandpa once said 'the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.' There is nothing to fear in a name. While this Voldemort might have done bad stuff, I doubt his name will do any harm."

Ted noticed that Susan and Neville were looking extremely awkward at his words.

"I lost a lot of family to You-Know-Who," Susan whispered. "A lot of Wizards on this train lost family to Him and his followers. You have to understand He killed a lot of people because they opposed him. They see Him as the definition of evil."

An awkward silence filled the room, only to be broken by Oliver, who loudly said "What Houses do you think you'll get?"

"I don't care, as long as my sister isn't in it," Padma said.

"Hufflepuff, most likely," Susan said. "My family's been there for ages."

"I couldn't care less myself, just as long as it isn't with the snakes," Oliver said.

"My gran really wants me in Gryffindor, but I doubt I'm brave enough."

"Nonsense, Neville," Ted said. "I'm sure you are brave enough for Gryffindor. What's a Gryffindor anyways?"

"Is there anything you do know," Oliver asked with exasperation. "Hogwarts divides the students into four Houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Gryffindor is for brave idiots, Hufflepuff is for weaklings, Ravenclaw is for nerds, and Slytherin is for evil people. Got all that?"

"You think Hufflepuff is for weaklings, do you?" Susan said. "I would love to hear you say that to my aunt's face. No, Ted, Gryffindor is for the brave, Hufflepuff for hard workers, Ravenclaw for smart people, and Slytherin is for the ambitious and cunning."

"How are they sorted?"

"I don't know. It's traditional not to tell students how the Sorting works until the actual ceremony."

"Tradition," Ted said. "I know just what we can do with Tradition, we can shove it up someone's-"

"We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes time! Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately..."

They all quickly jumped to putting their robes on, the girls and boys leaving respectively while the other changed. Ted quietly grumbled at wearing a stupid robe, finding the sleeves too long and the material scratchy. One would have imagined that he was joining the boys choir, or was about to go trick or treating with such a get up. Perhaps this was God's way of getting back at him for complaining about school uniforms back home.

A few minutes later, the train pulled into the station. The five friends jumped off. They made their way towards an incredibly large man, easily as tall as Patrick Ewing of the New York Knicks, but twice as wide, like a giant from Jack and the Beanstalk.

"C'mon firs years! Firs years over here!" the giant bellowed.

He led them to the Lake, where they got on boats. Ted, Oliver, Padma, and Neville got one together. Since it could only fit four, Susan sat with some old friends. When the boats were all filled, they took off and made their way towards the castle.

"Don't mean to ask, but why boats?" said Ted.

He soon found out why. As the boats made their way across the lake, Ted caught his very first glimpse of Hogwarts. A vast castle with many turrets and towers loomed over the night sky, and for a moment Ted could only gape. While New Salem had been continuously renovated and known for housing the latest in both magic and technology, the castle looked like something out of Medieval times. It certainly looked old enough. No doubt that there was the presence of extremely old Magic, echoing the legacies of famous wizards throughout history. Ted still had doubts about Hogwarts, but there was clearly a lot of magic here.

Finally, the boats stopped at a cave, where they all got out. They were greeted by a stern-looking woman, who Ted could immediately tell was not someone to cross. Ted only half listened as the witch, who went by the name of McGonagall, spoke about the Four Houses (which Ted considered stupid), the Point System (which Ted thought even stupider), and the House Cup (which made Ted's Lame List). After an unimpressive performance by some ghosts, McGonagall led them to the Great Hall, which Ted had to admit was pretty impressive (although he was not impressed by the ceiling, since it was just a glorified skylight and pyrotechnics).

The entire student body was present, distributed between four tables, which Ted assumed was reflective of the four houses. Most curiously, there was a mangy old hat on a stool, but right as Ted began to wonder why such a worn out old piece of leather was there, it burst into song.

A singing hat... No seriously, Hogwarts sorted its students into their repective houses on the judgment of a singing hat? Worse, the hat wasn't even a good singer! It was like hearing Karaoke gone horribly wrong, and Ted couldn't even appreciate the musical style. Finally, the agony stopped, and Professor McGonagall called for Hannah Abbot, who was sorted into Hufflepuff. Next, Susan's name was called. Ted gave her a quick thumbs-up, and just as she had anticipated on the train, she was quickly named a Hufflepuff.

As the students' names were called, Ted looked around the Hall. Something that quickly caught his attention was the Headmaster. Although he looked much older than the Berlin picture, Ted could still recognize the great wizard who commanded his grandpa's respect even after their Cold War falling out. Dumbledore noticed Ted's gaze, and Ted caught a hint of a small smile and could have sworn Dumbledore give him a slight wink. Ted quickly turned his attention to the other teachers. One of them was what could only be described as an aged Hobbit with robes. Next to him was a man with greasy black hair and a poisonous scowl, the sort of man who must have enjoyed burning ants with a magnifying glass as a child. While Ted mused which teacher would teach what, and how good they would be, and which one of them was teaching Transfiguration, he heard his name.

"Franklin, Theodore."

Flinching slightly at the 'Theodore,' Ted calmly made his way to the hat. Ted thought he heard a few whispers, most likely from wizards and a few of the ghosts who were wondering if he was related to Ed Franklin. Of the student body though, only a few of the prefects had heard the name Ed Franklin.

"Ah," the Hat said. "An American. And a Franklin at that. I haven't seen one of you since old Benjamin paid a visit over 2 centuries ago."

"You knew Great-Grandfather?" Ted thought, surprised.

"Of course I did," the Hat said. "A good man, he was. A bit eccentric, perhaps, but I liked him. Although he did have issues with my singing, much like you I see."

"To be fair, have you heard your songs? Utterly terrible."

"I'll tell you what. You live for a thousand years as a Hat, and let's hear how you sound. But enough about that. We still need to Sort you. Where to put you? What about Slytherin?"

"No! Not Slytherin! Not that I buy into that whole 'they're all evil' thing, but..." said Ted, shifting his gaze over the Slytherin table for a moment, "Something about them rubs me the wrong way..."

"A good reason if I ever heard one. Don't seem the type anyhow, but what of he others? You do have a bravery of sorts, but not quite reckless enough for Gryffindor. No, you're the type that likes to think things through; you've certainly got a brain on you that Ravenclaw would appreciate. But I don't think you really belong in either, do you? All you Franklins have always valued loyalty and fair play. Yes, you seem to be best suited for HUFFLEPUFF!"

The Hufflepuff table cheered quite loudly. It was clear they liked the idea of having a Franklin among them.

"How curious," said a red haired Gryffindor prefect, "A Franklin ending up in Hufflepuff, seems rather odd if you ask me."

On the other side of the table, some opinions were less positive. "Well what do you expect out of a squib? Clearly it's the thinning of the blood, he's only fit for that group of doormats," said another. It didn't really come to Ted's surprise that the comment in question had come from the Slytherin table. Yet Ted didn't really care what those Slytherins thought. Ted was all smiles as sat next to Susan, who looked happy at having Ted join her.

The rest of the Sorting went by quickly. Following Ted came this Granger girl who got sorted into Gryffindor. Neville also ended up in Gryffindor (Ted regretted encouraging him to go to Gryffindor then) and Padma got into Ravenclaw. It took all but one second for Malfoy to get sorted into Slytherin; Ted refused to clap for him as he joined his band of fellow bigots. Oliver came into Hufflepuff, much to Susan's annoyance. The biggest hubbub came when Harry Potter, supposedly the boy who'd defeated a dark wizard Voldemort as a baby, took his turn with the hat. As the various students and faculty gaped at him like an exotic animal at the zoo, Ted privately felt bad for him. It was already difficult enough being the grandson of Ed Franklin, but it seemed as if Harry had the entire weight of magical Britain on his scrawny shoulders.

After him came a red haired kid named Weasley who was sorted into Gryffindor, and finally, a black kid named Zabini who got into Slytherin. Ted found that strangely odd. He had figured that a house like Slytherin would not only value pure wizarding blood, but also be quick with the 'nigger' insults. Finally, McGonagall put the Hat away, and Dumbledore stood up and said some very curious words. Ted gave a small smirk at them. Grandpa was right: Dumbledore was a little crazy.

During the feast the First Years started talking. Apparently, they all cared about their blood status. When Ted's turn came, a Zacharias Smith asked if his grandfather was Ed Franklin.

"Yep," Ted answered. "And my dad's the new Magical Ambassador. That's why I'm attending Hogwarts."

"What about your mum," Ernie asked.

"She's a scientist. She studies how stuff works." It was clear none of them (besides Oliver and muggle-born Justin) had any idea what a scientist was. In fact, Ted himself wasn't quite sure what his mom did in the lab half the time.

"So, she's a muggle," Hannah asked.

"Squib," Ted said simply.

"Your father married a squib," Zacharias sneered. "Interesting standards you Americans have."

Ted frowned at that.

"Seriously Zacharias? How does that matter?" Ted asked coldly. "My family is descended from British squibs who left when Magical Britain rejected them. I assure you, Zacharias, I am no squib. I bet you wouldn't like it if I insulted your mom like that. And if I ever hear you talk that way about squibs again, I'll make sure to introduce you to my grandfather. He loves to hear people talk about his ancestors that way."

Before Zacharias could say a word, Dumbledore stood up and made some announcements. Hogwarts was really unoriginal with names, if they called it the Forbidden Forest. Ted and his fellow first years were led to their dorms by Gabriel Truman. Ted very much doubted that this Truman had any relation to the former US president, but he seemed like an agreeable sort nonetheless.

"I suspect some of you heard certain rumours about Hufflepuff," Gabriel said. "Well push those rumours aside. Much like the Badger, our symbol, we are hard workers, loyal, and above all not to be underestimated when threatened. Our Common Room is a short walk from the Kitchens. The entrance to the Kitchens is behind the painting of fruit: just tickle the pear to get in. The house elves know we like to frequent them, so they are always making food. Don't feel bad about getting food from them, but try not to go all at once.

"The entrance to the Common Room is right here. If you want to get in, you have to tap this barrel to the tune of Helga Hufflepuff, like so. If you don't, then you will be doused with vinegar, so try to remember it. Fair warning: there is a small tunnel you have to go through, but it isn't too bad."

Gabriel then led them through the tunnel, and into the Common Room. Ted had to admit it was impressive. It certainly had an earthy feel to it. Ted was shown where the boys' room was, and after some talking went to bed.

This is going to be a curious seven years.


	4. Y1: Not-Cat

I do not own Harry Potter. The Franklins are mine.

nobodez: I originally considered having him in Gryffindor and befriend Harry, but then I decided to let Canon run its course for a while, and in a thread that inspired this idea, I decided he would fit best in Hufflepuff. And yes, he should ask 'why' more often, but that has more to do with his upbringing in Magical America, which is highly integrated to the Muggle World.

* * *

Ted woke up the next morning with an odd sort of excitement. After all, today would be his first day of actually learning Magic. He might have spent the last five years or so learning the Theory in elementary school, but as the saying went "There's no difference between theory and practice...in theory".

"Good Morning, Oliver!"

"Someone's a morning person," Oliver grumbled as they walked down the dormitory stairs.

"Morning Ted, Oliver," Susan said cheerfully, albeit less so to the latter.

"Morning. Anyone remember how to get to the Great Hall?" Ted asked.

"This way, I think," Susan answered.

"Think? That's comforting," Oliver said.

She threw him a glare, but didn't say anything as they made their way to breakfast. On the way, they bumped into Padma and Neville, both of whom had got lost trying to find the Great Hall.

"Do you guys know where the Great Hall is," Neville asked.

"I have a rough idea. I think we're pretty close," Susan said.

"Good to know," Padma said. "It will probably take a while to figure this place out."

"You would think in a castle that's this size and has moving staircases they would give students maps of the building, or at least post them around the walls."

"Is there anything about the school you haven't complained about yet, Teddy?" Oliver asked with an amused grin.

Ted threw Oliver a glare. "Don't call me Teddy. I hate that stupid name. My name is Ted, and only Ted. If I hear that word from you again, I will turn you into a tissue."

"Could you turn me into a tissue?"

Ted gave him a smirk. "I can certainly try."

Susan was clearly fighting the urge to laugh at Oliver's face. "As much as I would love to see that, Ted, we did reach the Great Hall, and my aunt taught me to avoid any Magic before breakfast."

With that, the five friends split up, three making their way to the Hufflepuff table. Ted quickly concluded while the British had an odd breakfast and weird terms for it, it was still quite good.

As if on cue, the Great Hall was suddenly filled with owls of varying shapes and sizes. It caught Ted off guard they didn't have a more convenient place to drop them off, but it could be worse.

Ted quickly noticed a particular black bird that seemed to be the only non-owl in the room. It made his way to Ted.

Oliver barely kept out a screech, Susan looked awed.

"Is that a _hrafn_?"

"Yep. Grandpa Ed gave him to me before I left, so I can write to him and my sister during term."

"It's weird," Oliver noted.

Edgar and Ted threw him a glare. "His name is Edgar. And fair warning: they can be nasty when provoked."

Ted noticed Edgar had three letters tied to his leg, so probably one from Ed, one from Ellen, and one from his parents.

Opening one at random, he began reading,

_Dear Theodore,_

_I will make this brief, since you should be getting this during breakfast, and you didn't do anything yet._

_What House did you get into? Me and the portraits have a wager going on on what House you'll get in. I think you'll be in Ravenclaw, Grandfather suspects Gryffindor, and so on._

_What do you think of Albus (Professor Dumbledore to you)? Is he just as eccentric as he always was?_

_Good luck with school. I suspect you're still mad, but it could be worse: your father could have been stationed in Moscow, and you sent to Durmstrang._

_Sincerely,_

_Edward Franklin._

Next, Ted opened a letter he immediately recognized as from Ellen.

_Teddy,_

_So, you finally made it to Hogwarts. I know you're still a little gloomy about it, but you'll do fine. And remember: your big sister is one Magical Raven-note away. Ignore the big body of water the raven flies over._

_I won't make this too long, since I don't want to interfere with your tea and chips, or whatever limeys have for breakfast._

_Remember: make friends. And tell me every detail of the school._

_Love,_

_Ellen._

_P.S. Can you verify there is in fact no dragon kept in the dungeons? One of my friends claims there is in fact a real dragon there, and all First Years have to undergo an initiation where they have to tickle it while it's sleeping. He is begging me to ask you for pictures of the feat. He doesn't quite get it's just a motto._

Smiling at his sister's letter, he opened the last one, obviously from mom and dad.

_Dear Ted,_

_Not much to really say, beyond making sure you remember we do expect you to write to us at a minimum of once a week. Anything less and we will send you a howler._

_What House did you get into? We don't care which one you get into, just as long as you're happy with it._

_Good luck, and make us proud._

_From,_

_Mom and Dad._

_PS: Is the Sorting Hat as terrible a singer as Grandpa Benjamin said it was? I'm sorry I couldn't warn you beforehand, but we were told not to tell you. A custom for First Years._

After breakfast, Professor Sprout, apparently the head of Hufflepuff, gave the First Years their schedules. Ted grinned when he noticed his first subject.

"Fantastic, Transfiguration is first."

"Don't look so cheerful, Ted," Oliver carefully pronouncing 'Ted' as they walked to their first class. "We do share the class with Slytherins. In fact, it seems most of our classes are with them."

"Not all Slytherins are bad," Susan pointed out.

"That one certainly is," Ted said as they noticed Draco Malfoy and his minions (seriously, Ted was starting to consider giving the guy a cape and his own theme music) already there.

"Franklin," he said curtly.

"Malfoy, Minions." Ted replied in kind. After looking for a moment at the 'cat' sitting on the desk, he threw in "And good morning to you, not-Cat."

Malfoy snorted at this. "Interesting customs you Americans have. Do you always greet cats that way, or only when they look so tabby?"

Ted resisted the urge to grin. Idiot.

When the last student entered the class, the 'cat' grew to Professor McGonagall, whom Ted now realized was the Transfiguration Professor. He noticed Draco pale slightly. Ted gave the professor a round of applause for her animagus transformation.

"Thank you, Mr. Franklin. Tell me, how did you know I wasn't a genuine cat? Not many students first years realise that."

"There were a few signs, Professor. For starters, this was a Transfiguration class, so I figured it was safe to assume nothing was what it seemed. I also used to own a cat, and your position was unusually stiff. But I became sure when I noticed the spectacle markings around the cat's eyes, which reminded me of the same ones my distant Grandfather Benjamin has in a portrait showing his animagus form."

"Very good, Mr. Franklin. Five points for Hufflepuff." Turning towards Draco, she seemed to get a little colder. "And Mr. Malfoy, please remind me what you thought of the cat." Ted was now trying really hard not to laugh, and Oliver and Susan were not faring much better.

"Nothing, Professor," Draco mumbled.

She nodded at this and proceeded to give a warning about not messing around and proceeded to turn the desk into a pig, which Ted really wanted to try. Unfortunately, they were assigned to turn a match into a needle. Ted successfully managed to get it done on the third try.

"Very good, Mr. Franklin. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Franklins are often Transfiguration prodigies, correct?"

"Traditionally, yes, Professor."

"I think another five points for Hufflepuff are in order, for your efforts to uphold your family's reputation, then." Ted considered the look on Draco's face quite amusing, especially considering how he (and everyone else, for that matter), barely got anywhere with their matches.

The rest of the week flew by quite quickly for Ted. Charms was pretty good for a class taught by a man Ted came to call Professor Baggins in his head. Defense Against the Dark Arts was adequate, and was taught by a bumbling fool named Quirrell. History of Magic was honestly a massive joke, since it only seemed to cover goblin rebellions (which was amusing in and of itself, since Ted knew enough about the goblins to see a bias in the teaching) and was taught by the most boring ghost in the history of ghosts. Astronomy bored Ted, although he knew his sister would love the class. Potions (the only class he shared with Padma) was not that bad. This surprised Ted, since Neville described the potions teacher as horribly unfair. Then again, his bias seemed to be reserved for Gryffindor and Slytherin, meaning Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw could do reasonably well. Herbology (the only class besides History he shared with Neville) made Ted grateful the nervous boy was his friend: where Ted was what his grandmother once called 'a yellow thumb,' Neville had a decided green thumb.

"How did you all like your first week," Ted asked as he sat down with his friends in the courtyard.

"Quite enjoyable," Susan said. "Charms is without a doubt my favorite class."

"Too lame for my tastes," Oliver said. "I personally found Defence much more engaging, even if it is taught by a coward afraid of his own shadow."

"Remind me again why the Hat didn't put you in Gryffindor," Susan replied.

Oliver shrugged. "It thought I would like Hufflepuff more."

"Personally, I distrust that Hat," Padma cut in. "That Granger girl is pure Ravenclaw material, and she somehow ended up in Gryffindor.

Ted recalled her. He didn't share many classes with her, but the simple fact she somehow stayed awake through History of Magic said a great deal about her.

"So I'm guessing you like her," Oliver said.

Padma looked at him like he grew two heads. "Are you crazy? That girl is too smart for her own good. I share most of my classes with her. She acts like an utter know-it-all and keeps answering questions before I get a chance."

"Is she really that bad," Ted asked. "Is it possible you're just mad she's smarter than you?"

This made Padma quite mad. "SHE IS NOT SMARTER THAN ME! I will prove to her I am the best in our year!" She calmed down and turned to Neville. "You've been awfully quiet this whole time. What do you think?"

Neville looked surprised and started mumbling, "She is pretty smart, and she did offer to help me find Trevor."

"Who I found for you, thank you very much," Ted said. "By the way, what do you think of our first week here at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?" Ted saying the last part with a great flourish.

"Herbology is brilliant. There are a lot of plants in the greenhouse I never saw before. The rest are okay. Professor Snape is scary."

Ted sighed at this. He had no idea what happened to Neville to destroy his confidence (he suspected his Gran had something to do with it), but Ted resolved to help him get a confidence boost.

The next day, Saturday, was a day he'd been looking forward to all week. Since he was free all day, it was the perfect chance to fly his broom. He woke up early, took out the shrunken broom from his trunk, and went to the Quidditch field. He was still annoyed they didn't play Quodpot here, and insisted on this stupid game Ted didn't quite understand.

Ted regrew the broom and held it in his hands. While he did intend to show the broom to his friends tomorrow and give them a chance to use it, today he wanted to fly by himself. Launching himself in the air on his _1990 Icarus_, he felt the usual adrenaline rush of flight. He may not be a prodigal flier, but he was a damned good one after practising for years.

After some time flying manoeuvres, he stopped the broom to simply look into the distance. From here, he could see quite far. He mused on how the first wizard to make a broom must have felt when he gazed at the world below.

"Want some company?"

In his surprise, he nearly lost his grip on his broom. He turned his head, only to see an older Hufflepuff beside him on his own broom.

"Wh..what are you doing here?"

"Same thing as you, I'm guessing." He looked at Ted's broom. "Funny, I didn't know the rules changed on First Years and brooms."

Ted looked wide-eyed at the older boy. "Please don't tell on me."

The older boy gave a slight smile. "Now why would I do that? We Hufflepuffs do have to stick together after all."

Ted smiled in return. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it. Now, I think it's time we both head off to breakfast."

Now that food was mentioned, Ted did feel rather hungry. The two flew to the ground. Ted made sure to shrink his broom and put it back in his pocket. He extended his hand to his fellow Hufflepuff. "I'm Ted. Ted Franklin."

"Cedric Diggory."


End file.
